You Capture - Nature

I was worried I would miss this week's challenge.

You see, I've not been outside much. I've walked around our neighborhood a few times, but I wouldn't exactly call that nature.

So, today, determined to participate, I packed up the double stroller with a Bjorn, lots of diapers, a bottle, sippy, crackers, Sophie the giraffe, several pacifiers, sun hats, a valium for me (ho ho ho, just kidding, but I kind of wish I did have one) and my camera and went to the park. The closest to nature I'm getting this week.

On our little nature walk, which only lasted about thirty minutes, we saw:

Lots of pretty flowers (okay, weeds really) ...



One of the many reasons I want to itch my eyes out of my face (grass allergies, boooo!):


Lots and lots of green - we do live in the Pacific Northwest, you know...


And some very tall trees with the lovely sun peeking through their branches.

I would love to say our nature walk was relaxing, but alas, it was the opposite. But we did get some fresh air, and I think I managed to convince the people we passed on the trail that the baby was, in fact, gassy and I wasn't poking him with pins.

To be one with nature, trek on over and visit Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

Whew!

This is going to be short, because I'm sitting here after the walk from hell with a passed out babe in a Moby Wrap sweating on my chest. Little man has been in the stroller, the Bjorn, the bouncy seat and finally the Moby calmed him down. That and me doing 5000 squats while feeding him a bottle trying to soothe him to sleep.

G just finished jumping/crying himself to sleep in his crib. He squirmed and cried throughout our entire walk. Nothing made him happy. Not bankie, not his sippy, not even a cracker.

Some days I think children conspire to be absolutely insane. I think they're testing me.

So, with them both down, I'm going to try to take a much needed shower. Just hoping the babe doesn't wake up as I'm untangling us from the Moby.

This week, I lost. And not just my mind. I didn't lose as much poundage as I thought I would, but a I lost a little, and I'm okay with that.

This weeks results:

Starting Weight: 178.8
This Week's Weight: 177.6

As an aside, I'm reading Jillian Michaels 'Master Your Metabolism' and it's scaring the poo out of me. I'll give a synopsis when I'm done, I'm still trying to decide if the diet is something I could do. It seems really intensive and crazy.

Okay, off to shower I go.

And oh yeah...

GOTEAMBLUE!

Here

I wish I had something witty and interesting to write about.

But I don't. I'm just...here. Present. Accounted for.

Having two chitlins' in the house has given lots of food for thought but has robbed me of my short term memory. I'm deadly serious. I'm forgetting words, where I put things, and I've even had to run through every name in the house before I can remember my son's. Yes, the pet's names came out first. Then my husband's. I think my brother's got in there somewhere. And finally I sputtered out 'G!' as he was summitting yet another piece of furniture, teetering haphazardly on the top and then JUMPING UP AND DOWN.

Heeeeelp!

In all seriousness, I'm actually handling everything quite nicely. I've figured out the baby's cues Manic screaming = hungry. Grunting and squealing = working on monster blowout poo. I've learned how to catch G's wrists before he makes contact on the baby's head and say 'SOFT! Soooofttt!. He's trying to pat, but his interpretation is more of a smack. I've gotten them both down for a nap at the same time. Yeah, I'm pretty impressed with myself. That is MAJOR.

But damn. I am tired.

So, starting tomorrow, I'm going old school and carrying little notebook around with me to jot (did I just type jot?) down any ideas that go racing through my head, before they escape. Because as of right now, my retention level is nada.

I'm just here. And in a minute, I'll have my ass parked on the couch watching the utter filth that is True Blood.

That is, until I pass out from exhaustion about ten minutes in.

What's New Pussycat (Whoaa Whoaa Whoaaaaa)

I just had to give a birthday shout out to my all time favorite crooner, Tom Jones.
Dude is 69 years old today (I'm guessing this pic is a few years old). I've yet to see him live, but I swear, someday...

Again With the Poop

When I was in college, my roommate Christine and I used to sit around over a half rack of Coors Light musing about the deeper things in life.

Such as, poop.

We had this conversation where we came to the conclusion you could not say the word poop without laughing. We tried over and over again and erupted into fits of laughter every time.

I'm sure the beer had nothing to do with it.

Now, ten years later, poop is still a huge part of my life. Yes, I write about poop a lot. I can't help it. It's amazing how important it becomes when you have a kid. Too many? Not enough? I don't remember him eating [insert food here]? Did ALL of that seriously come out of my tiny little child? And so on.

So we're back to the pooping in the tub issue. But now, I think it's a game.

A messy, disgusting, gag-inducing game.

For three nights straight, G has looked me in the eye, bore down, and crapped in the tub. Clearly, he's doing it with purpose.

I was talking to my mom last night and she suggested maybe he's ready to try a potty.

'But he's not even 17 months old yet!' I protested. But it got me thinking. Could he really be ready to try to use a potty? My little baby? Could it be true?

Today, we make the trek to Babies r Us to pick out a potty. I'm so not ready for this, I haven't done any research on what kind to get, maybe a book I should read?

I'm not getting too excited over this, as it could turn out he just likes pooping in the tub. It must be a thrill having mommy gasp, grasp you under the arms and whisk you out of the tub, then try to figure out how to fish a turd out of the bubbles. I may buy a little goldfish net today too. And another jug of bleach.

If anyone has any potty training advice/product suggestions/book recommendations, I'm all ears.

And I am most definitely not letting him in the wading pool diaper less. I don't need a Caddyshack situation on my hands.

It's All About Meme...8 Things

The lovely April at My Life at Thirty tagged me the other day with this meme. I've been - ahem - a little busy with my mini daycare, but it's Friday night and here I am! Vodka in hand. Maybe my answers will get better as I finish my drink! Don't worry Team Blue, I'm drinking it with light cranberry juice. Still does the trick!

8 things I am looking forward to:

1. Going out for a belated birthday lunch with my girlfriend Lisa, who I haven't seen since I was laid off in February.
2. Possibly going to Kauai in November. My parents have a time share and B's boss has offered us airmiles so we can fly for free. FIRST CLASS. Do they let kids in first class? Hope so, because B probably won't like sitting by himself with the kiddo on the six hour flight. I kid, I kid.
3. Mariners Game in a couple of weeks. They'll most likely lose, but I can have a beer and garlic fries. Not too many (GOTEAMBLUE), just enough to burp garlic for a week.
4.Vodka.
5. I'm going to start watching the True Blood series before the next season starts. My DVR is recording them all. I LOVE VAMPIRES. What is wrong with me?
6. The Angels Game comes out on June 16. I love Carlos Ruiz Zafon. He writes in Spanish and it's translated to English. And his work is perfection!
7. Continuing summer weather and hanging out in the backyard.
8. Picking up the new Dave Matthews Band album.

8 things I did yesterday:

1. Changed double the amount of diapers than usual.
2. Learned how to wear a Moby Wrap.
3. Forgot to eat lunch. And I NEVER forget to eat.
4. Watered my garden.
5. Had a McDonald's soft serve (HEY, they're only like 2 points. For reals).
6. Pulled rocks out of my child's mouth.
7. Saw our phantom cat, Violet, who only shows up every 2 months or so.
8. Drove through a neighborhood I've never been to before just because (well, also to extend the lovely car nap G was enjoying).

8 things I wish I could do:

1. Start my own business. I want to be the boss of me!
2. Wear a bikini. No, make that LOOK GOOD in a bikini.
3. Sing well. And dance too. And maybe play a musical instrument.
4. Add another bathroom to our house. And maybe 1000 more square feet while I'm at it.
5. Live in London again for a bit. Or at least visit.
6. Go to culinary school.
7. Sleep for six hours straight.
8. Have Tom Colicchio cook me dinner. And do the dishes.
8.5 Have a McDonald's soft serve machine in my kitchen. Mmmm.

8 shows I watch:

1. American Idol
2. 90210 - the old reruns AND the new. Though I prefer the old. Donna Martin Graduates!
3. Big Love
4. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Why am I admitting this?
5. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Is it weird that I have a huge crush on Anthony Bourdain? He is wicked awesome!
6. 18 Kids & Counting because I have a Duggar obsession.
7. So You Think You Can Dance
8. Jack's Music Show.

8 Peeps Tagged:

1. Tiffiny @ the story of our life
2. Jenn @ Have you Hurd?
3. Andrea @ Train to Crazy
4. Jenny @ Yippie Kay Yea, Y'all
5. Karena @ The Long Road to Healthy
6. Thea @ I'm A Drama Mama
7. Ann @ She's Gonna Blow!
8. Mel @ The Melodramatic

You Capture - Feel

Hmmm. Feel. Shall we go with the tactile feel or the emotional feel? I can't decide.

So...


G FEELS a little insecure this week with the extra baby in the house. He's trying to fit in his Bumbo. It makes me FEEL a little sad, but it also makes me giggle a bit.

This is E. He loves the way Sophie the Giraffe FEELS on his gums. How cute is this little chubster?

I bet this yummy popsicle FELT good on a hot day!

G FEELS glee when his Gigi comes to visit. And it makes me FEEL wonderful to see their special bond.

And last but not least:

Damn, it FEELS good to be a gangsta!

To see more, go to I SHOULD BE FOLDING LAUNDRY. Now. With feeling!

Here I Go Again (Not) On My Own

I'm on board for another Sisterhood Challenge.

This time we're on teams (GO TEAM BLUE). I'm so excited to have a mini support group. And others to be accountable to.

So, I'm keeping this post short as banging on my keyboard is not helping the little gentleman to my right sleep. And I really need for him to nap. Stroller Strides was a DISASTER! What was I thinking? But I did get a little much needed exercise.

So, here are the stats:

Starting Weight: 178.8

Goal Weight (for this challenge): 168

Measurements:

Bust: NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, BUT I'M TOTALLY STACKED!

Waist: 35" (WTF? Am I measuring wrong?)

Hips: 42" (Sir Mixalot just popped into my head. Except for me, it's 'Not so little in the middle AND she's got much back!)

GO TEAM BLUE!

LET'S DO THIS THING!

Another List Because My Brain Can't Manage Full Thoughts

Observations on Day Two.

1) Day two with two crumb crunchers was much easier than day one.

2) I do not take today's relative smoothness for granted. I know all hell could break loose tomorrow. Or the next day.

3) I now have no idle time during the day. If G is down, then E is up. If they're both down (has happened once), I had better be doing dishes, trying to eat something and going to the bathroom. And yes, I might have to eat something WHILE going to the bathroom. Multitasking, people!

4) I now know what it is like to care for a wearable baby. G was not a wearable infant. He flat out refused. So now, I'm rocking the Moby Wrap and it really works. That is the ONLY way E will fall asleep. Problem is, it's hotter than Hades and we're sweating all over each other.

5) G is handling this much better than I'd even hoped for. That nurse was SO WRONG. He is always bringing the baby toys, offering him crackers and actually cried today when we dropped E off at home. How sweet is that?

6) I am going to be completely crazy tomorrow and try to take both little dudes to Stroller Strides. Clearly the heat and my lack of exercise is affecting my judgment.

7) And on the topic of strollers, my Phil and Ted's is AWESOME! I took the wee gentlemen out for a walk today and it was a dream.

8) The Laurie Berkner Band has this album, Rocketship Run, that always calmed G down and lulled him to sleep in the car. And he was a really bad car infant. As in, I could never come to a complete stop. If I saw a red light approaching, I'd break out in a sweat. Well, apparently E is also bad in the car, and was crying this afternoon, but as soon as I popped in the CD, HE FELL ASLEEP. It is a magic CD. MAGIC!

9) I am learning to do the whole cloth diaper thing. It's not so bad. The wraps actually make it pretty simple.

10) I don't have anything to say here, but I feel the need to fill this list out to ten. So there. TEN. DONE. NIGHT!

Out of the Frying Pan...

I made it.

I wasn't sure a few times, but I made it. A four month old and a sixteen month old sure can take it out of you.

Whew.

I think tomorrow will be better. We all just need to get in a routine.

Now, I need a shower and I need bed. And maybe a quick shot of vodka.